Battle of Ji Province

The Battle of Ji Province took place in Ji Province (northern China) in 202 AD. Yuan Shao's sons Yuan Tan, Yuan Shang, and Yuan Xi commanded an army against Cao Cao's forces, who had defeated Yuan Shao at the Battle of Guandu in 200 AD and were prepared to finish Yuan Shao off. The sons fought over the ailing Yuan Shao's legacy, with Cao Cao supporting Yuan Tan against Yuan Shang, resulting in the death of Yuan Shang. Yuan Shao returned to the battle soon after and persuaded Yuan Tan to return to his side. However, it was too late, as a half of Yuan Shao's forces were dead. Yuan Tan and Yuan Shao were both defeated, ending the Yuan family legacy.

Background
The former friends Cao Cao and Yuan Shao both claimed stakes in the succession of the falling Han Dynasty, weakened by several rebellions and internal corruption, fighting over possession of the emperor. In the 190s, the most turbulent era of the Han dynasty wars, several warlords competing to seize power after the overthrow of dictator Dong Zhuo fought and died in battle against each other. Cao Cao decided to attack Yuan Shao in 197 AD, fearing that he would swallow the north whole. Xiahou Dun was skeptical against this choice, as it involved fighting a much larger army that was constantly on the move. Cao Cao was not to be persuaded against this, and he crushed Yuan Shao's allies of Zhang Xiu and Lu Bu at Wan Castle (197) and Xiapi (198), respectively.

In 199 AD, Yuan Shao sent a messenger with a declaration of war to Cao Cao, hoping to crush him before he could act against him. Yuan Shao allied with Liu Bei, a homeless warlord whose brother Guan Yu was indentured into the service of Cao Cao at the time. Although fearing that he would have to fight Guan Yu, his other brother Zhang Fei was eager to strike down Guan Yu due to his service under Cao Cao.

Cao Cao's army of 80,000 troops met Yuan Shao's 250,000 troops at Guandu in the Northern Plains region, and entrenched to create a stalemate. Yuan Shao feared to attack Cao Cao's well-defended army, and Cao Cao feared to attack Yuan Shao's larger army. However, Cao Cao held onto Yanjin and Baima, two vital supply bases that kept his army fed. Yuan Shao's army was larger and depended on a single large supply base at Wuchang. Cao Cao's army repelled attacks on the supply bases, killing Wen Chou and Yan Liang, Yuan Shao's two famous generals. He then snuck around Yuan Shao's lines and burnt Wuchang to the ground, starving Yuan Shao's huge army. Many of Yuan Shao's officers defected to Cao Cao's army for the sake of rice and water, leaving Yuan Shao with the smaller army. Yuan Shao withdrew before he could be destroyed, but lost 210,000 troops dead.

Yuan Shao decided on a pitched battle to defend vital Ji Province from Cao Cao, whose army approached his last remaining stronghold. He placed his sons Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang in command of his army, while he was away gathering reinforcements. From 200 to 202 AD Cao Cao's army crushed several of Yuan Shao's generals, and the final showdown came at Ji Province.

Battle
Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang occupied separate castles on opposite sides of the province, while Cao Cao's army gathered in front of the wall leading to the province. In Cao Cao's ranks was former Yuan Shao general Zhang He and Cao Cao's trusted general and cousin Xiahou Dun. Cao Cao knew of the brothers' rivalries about succeeding Yuan Shao's legacy, so he made a plan to eliminate the middle brother Yuan Xi, the field commander. Zhang He and Xiahou Dun's units rode through the gates and charged at Yuan Shao's army on the other side, and Yuan Xi was wounded and forced to flee. Shortly after, the bickering occurred.

Yuan Shang's advisers Shen Pei and Feng Ji encouraged him to forsake his younger brother and become the true leader of Yuan Shao's legacy, while Guo Tu and Xin Ping tried to convince Yuan Tan to fight Yuan Shang. Cao Cao chose to support the older brother Yuan Tan, the duller of the two, and Yuan Tan and his army defected to Cao Cao. The allied forces charged Yuan Shang's castle and struck him down along with his generals and army, leaving no commander in charge of Yuan Shao's scattered forces.

However, Yuan Shao himself arrived shortly after with reinforcements, and he criticized Yuan Tan for following Cao Cao. Yuan Tan and his army rejoined his father's faction and betrayed Cao Cao, but half of Yuan Shao's army lay dead already. Cao Cao sent his generals to finish Yuan Shao off. Yuan Shao's army fell into the dust as Cao Cao's troops finally massacred his men. Yuan Shao was killed in battle and his sons defeated.

Aftermath
Yuan Shao's generals continued fighting, with Yuan Tan dying at Nanpi against Cao Cao in 205 AD and Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi dying at the hands of Gongsun Kang in 208 AD.